“Who can say I’ll even be alive in 2012?”

I was disgusted and disheartened to hear the IOC had banned the Iraq Olympic team for irregularities. It seems back in May the Iraqi government dissolved their 11 member committee, charging they did not have a legal quorum to conduct business and perhaps concern over the fact several of the members were hold overs from Saddam. Never mind the IOC allowing Udai’s teams compete even tho torture was part of his training regimen. In 2008, dozens of Iraqi athletes were expected to compete, their spots have now been given to other countries.  Follow me below the fold for a glimpse the gut wrenching ramifications of the heartless hypocritcal decision by the IOC.  

Aside from the fact sports is one thing in Iraq that brings people together and unites them no matter what religious or geographical or political group they are, this is a terrible blow to them emotionally, not being able to compete the first time as the democractic nation of Iraq. Quoting Yaroub Kadim, a university student about the importance of sports in Iraq,  “one of the only real lifelines connecting everyone in the country”.

From a web site called Sport is Rebuilding Iraq

Sport in its various guises will be a powerful tool to support the regeneration and development of Iraq.

Sport:

Can bind local communities, regions and the nation itself into groups with common goals and inject a feeling of pride at each of these social levels. This has been shown in many countries, most notably South Africa.

Has been used as a means of supporting education. Many examples exist of how sport has been used to generate interest in education programmes. For example, giving pupils sports-related rewards for attending school can improve attendance levels.

Is an asset in promoting health. One of the most significant products of developing a greater sporting infrastructure is the improvements in health that can be achieved by increased participation. This has knock-on benefits, relieving the pressure on local healthcare resources.

Has the power to reduce crime. By giving youth a constructive focus for their energies and taking people off the streets, crime can be reduced in a way that is positive for local communities.

Can be a high profile symbol of national regeneration. Improved participation and achievement at international sports events can signal the successful development of countries on the world stage.

Comments about the beloved 2004 Olympic Iraqi soccer team, their first Olympic appearance in 25 years.

If the streams of good wishes and the rowdy welcome extended in Athens by thousands of Iraqi expatriates are any measure, Iraq’s early Olympic success is providing a rare moment of pride for a people engaged in a bloody search for their own identity.

More than 100 Iraqis have been killed just since the soccer team and 26 other members of the Iraq Olympic delegation arrived in Greece less than a week ago. During the same time, the contingent of previously unheralded athletes has provided the rest of Iraq a window into a life without conflict.

Since the war began in Iraq dozens of athletes and coaches have been killed. For the past 5 years the IOC and others have provided funds and facilities for more than 50 Iraqi athletes and coaches. I want you to meet two of Iraqi athletes who’s hopes and dreams have been at the very least put on hold if not ended forever.

Oscar Pistorius, the double amputee sprinter  The 21-year-old, born without fibulae in both legs and 11-months-old when his legs were amputated below the knee, his dream was competing at the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics.

He went on to set Paralympic world records in the 100, 200, and 400 meters, but did not draw attention until he started competing with able-bodied athletes in South Africa in 2004.

Since then he has been trying to get approval to compete in the Olympics against able bodied runners.

And the young woman who prompted this diary, she absolutely broke my heart. Sprinter Dana Hussain.

Hussain cried for hours after hearing the news, which arrived in the form of a letter to Iraqi officials.

“She hasn’t stopped. It’s like finding out that a close relative has died,” said her coach, Yousif Abdul Rahman.

Abdul Rahman attempted to console Hussain by assuring her that she could compete in the 2012 Olympics. Video Watch Hussain react to the news »

“In this horrible situation,” she said, “who can say I’ll even be alive in 2012?”

Dana Hussain is the ONLY member of the 2008 Iraqi Olympic team who still lives and trains in Iraq. “If I leave this sport, I think life will stop. Life must continue, even with the security situation so bad, because I have ambitions. I love this sport too much.”

From her story

Her running shoes are torn and frayed. To train, she has had to dodge sniper fire, sectarian killings and occasional car bombs. But Iraqi sprinter Dana Hussein is undaunted.

The 21-year-old is one of four Iraqis who have qualified for this summer’s Olympic Games in Beijing. And she’s the only Iraqi who is currently training for the Olympics inside the war-torn country.

“I think we drove through eight firefights that day,” the coach says. “I thought we were going to die.”

One day, the violence even encroached on this rundown track in the relatively safe Jadriyah neighborhood. Abdul-Rahman says both he and Hussein had to hit the dirt when a sniper opened fire from a nearby rooftop.

“When she was training, the sniper shot the first round, and it crossed near Dana and hit the tree. She dove for cover,” Abdul-Rahman says. “Then another round hit the field.”

“In this horrible situation,” she said, “who can say I’ll even be alive in 2012?”

Please contact the IOC, Jacques Rogge President, Lausanne, Switzerland